Steps to Take After You Hit a Deer With Your Vehicle

If you find yourself in a situation where you strike a deer on the road when driving your vehicle, you will want to take the correct steps in repairing your vehicle should it sustain any type of damage from the incident. There are a few tasks you will need to undertake immediately after the impact of the accident. Here is a time line you can follow to ensure you do not leave out any steps that will help you repair your vehicle after you hit a deer.

Alert Authorities About the Accident

The first phone call you should make after you hit a deer is to 911 to have emergency personnel dispatched to your location. If you are injured in any way, you will need to be checked out by a medical practitioner, making it necessary that an ambulance be sent to the scene. The police will be notified so someone can come to the area where the accident occurred to help with traffic control. They will also write up documentation pertaining to what they find at the scene, which can be helpful in proving you were indeed in an accident, minimizing the chance of your insurance company denying you payment.

Call Your Insurance Agent to Get an Assessment

Let your insurance company know about the accident as soon as you are cleared from injury. You can alert them of the whereabouts of your vehicle should they want to send an adjuster to the scene to confirm the accident was the result of the striking of a deer. In some cases, an insurance company will wait until you bring your vehicle to safe location, such as your home's property or an auto body shop, so they can look it over in detail without being in the way of others on the roadway.

Avoid Altering the Vehicle Until It Is Inspected

It is very important that you do not wash your vehicle or tamper with the body in any way. The insurance adjuster will need to find pieces of evidence that the vehicle was involved in an accident because of a natural occurrence. If there is no debris left from the deer, or if the insurance company feels you are pretending you hit a deer to retain compensation for repair work, your claim will either be denied or you will have to pay a deductible before work can be done.

Bring Your Vehicle to Get Repair Work Done

After you get an estimate from your insurance company, you can bring your vehicle to a reputable body shop or mechanic. They will do their own evaluation of the repair work that needs to be done and give you another estimate. If the price is higher than what your insurance company quoted, you will be responsible for the difference. The auto repair service may deal with the insurance company themselves to retain their payment, or you may receive a check from your insurance company to use to pay for any work done.

For more information on what you should do after hitting a deer with your vehicle, check out sites like http://www.denverautoinsurancecompany.com.